Fallout From Wolves/Kings Trade
The Timberwolves and Kings finalized a trade today that sent Luc Mbah a Moute to Minnesota straight up for 2011’s second overall pick, Derrick Williams. Because Williams is making a little more money this year than Mbah a Moute, the Wolves obtained a trade exception worth $428,576, which will almost certainly go unused. While that TPE may not be noteworthy, a few of today’s quotes out of Minnesota and Sacramento were, so let’s round them up….
- Sources tell Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld that the acquisition of D-Will isn’t the only trade the Kings have discussed. According to Kyler, there’s a belief that the Kings have “one or two more deals up their sleeves.”
- Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro cited Williams’ untapped potential in explaining to Sam Amick of USA Today why the team decided to acquire him. D’Alessandro adds within the same piece that he feels like the Kings owe it to their fans to be aggressive in exploring roster moves.
- Wolves president Flip Saunders tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link) that Minnesota talked about acquiring Mbah a Moute over the summer when the team put together the deal that sent Luke Ridnour to the Bucks.
- Reports yesterday indicated that Mbah a Moute would have to undergo a physical before the swap become official, due to concerns about knee issues. However, according to Saunders, that physical has yet to happen — the Wolves were confident enough in their research that they were comfortable completing the deal without it (Twitter link via Zgoda).
- More from Flip: Asked about the possibility of sending Shabazz Muhammad and/or Robbie Hummel to the D-League, Saunders said the notion that they won’t see any playing time with the Wolves isn’t necessarily true (Twitter link via Zgoda).
- Interestingly, while Saunders suggested to Zgoda (Twitter link) that he and Rick Adelman concluded Williams couldn’t play small forward in the Wolves’ system, D’Alessandro says the initial plan for D-Will in Sacramento is to start him at the three (Twitter link via Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld).
- Alexey Shved was rumored to be available as well, but he hopes to remain with the Wolves, as he tells Phil Ervin of FOX Sports North.
Eastern Notes: George, Wade, Shumpert, LBJ
The Nets will look to snap a five-game losing streak tonight when they take on the Atlantic Division leaders in Toronto. As we look forward to that game and the three others on Tuesday’s slate, let’s check in on a few items from around the Eastern Conference….
- Grantland’s Zach Lowe provides a couple interesting details on Paul George‘s extension with the Pacers. Because he signed a max deal, George would be eligible for up to 30% (rather than 25%) of the salary cap if he earns All-NBA honors this season, thanks to the Derrick Rose rule. However, if he does meet the Rose criteria, George’s salary will be just 27% of the cap, according to Lowe. In exchange for that concession, the Pacers forward received a player option on the fifth year of his new deal.
- Seeing Kobe Bryant sign an extension that will likely assure he finishes his career as a Laker has strengthened Dwyane Wade‘s own desire to spend the rest of his career with the Heat, as he tells Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Wade will be eligible to opt out of his deal next summer, but isn’t expected to go anywhere.
- Iman Shumpert didn’t record a single point, rebound, or assist in more than 23 minutes of action last night, but insisted trade rumors weren’t the reason for his poor outing, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News spoke to league executives about the possibility of LeBron James returning to the Cavs, and the consensus was that it may happen eventually, but likely not as soon as next summer.
- Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider link) identifies six potential trade targets for the Bulls as they look to fill their hole at point guard.
Lakers Notes: Kobe, Nash, Gasol
On a day when Derrick Rose was ruled out for a second straight season and the Timberwolves agreed to trade 2011’s second overall pick to Sacramento, Kobe Bryant dominated NBA headlines. The Lakers star signed a two-year extension with the team worth $48MM+, ensuring that he’ll remain under contract through 2016. We passed along several reactions to the agreement last night, but updates continue to trickle in, so today’s round of Lakers notes focuses heavily on Kobe’s new deal. Let’s dive in….
- Bryant tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that he and the Lakers didn’t really negotiate his extension. According to Bryant, the team proposed a deal and he “simply agreed to the offer.”
- Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles that the Buss family felt like the extension was the “right thing to do.”
- Buss on the deal: “This wasn’t something I decided to do; this wasn’t something [general manager] Mitch Kupchak decided to do. This was a Buss family decision…. We made him the highest-paid player in the NBA because we felt like it was the right thing to do. This wasn’t about what somebody else would pay him or outbidding anyone for him.”
- It’s possible the Lakers will waive Steve Nash using the stretch provision next summer. But that would likely only happen if that extra $6MM+ in cap space would be the difference between the team signing or not signing a top target, says Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Stretching Nash’s cap hit would give L.A. less flexibility in 2015 and 2016, which could discourage the club from going that route.
- Asked today if he’ll be the next Laker to sign an extension, Pau Gasol replied that he hasn’t talked to the team about it, and is keeping his focus on the court for now (Twitter links via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLA and Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times). Kupchak later confirmed that the team isn’t currently planning on an in-season extension for Pau (Twitter link via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News).
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton presents a few best-case scenarios for the Lakers in the wake of Kobe’s extension.
Kings Acquire Derrick Williams
TUESDAY, 11:08am: The deal has become official, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 6:49pm: The Kings are set to acquire Derrick Williams from the T’Wolves for Luc Mbah a Moute, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The deal is pending a physical for Mbah a Moute, who has knee troubles, but a source says that it would have to be really bad for the Wolves to nix the trade (link).
Williams, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 draft, has reportedly been on the block for more than a year now and while former GM David Kahn couldn’t find a home for him, new team president Flip Saunders may be on the cusp of doing just that. Williams might have been able to change the new regime’s impression of him with a hot start this season, but 4.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG through eleven games hasn’t helped his stock. Earlier today, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reported that a Williams trade seemed imminent.
The Kings have been aggressively pursuing trades and are reportedly targeting a solution at small forward. Mbah a Moute, a summer pickup, was supposed to be the answer, but he’s more of a role player than a starting three. As the UCLA product averages career-lows in points, rebounds, and minutes per game, Williams could represent an upgrade, even though small forward isn’t his natural position. The T’Wolves gave serious thought to moving Williams to the three – even having him drop from 250 pounds down to ~235 – but he never seemed to get the hang of it in training camp.
If completed, the trade would give Williams a fresh start while reuniting Mbah a Moute with former UCLA teammate Kevin Love. Mbah a Moute will be a defensive upgrade for Minnesota as he and Corey Brewer figure to frustrate opponents on a nightly basis.
Mbah a Moute, 27, is set to earn $4.58MM this season and $4.38MM in 2014/15. Williams, 22, will make $5.29MM this season and $6.68MM next season before reaching restricted free agency.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) first reported that the two sides were in advanced talks on a swap of Mbah a Moute and Williams.
Bulls Rumors: Deng, Butler, Roster
The Bulls weren’t playing great ball even before losing Derrick Rose to a season-ending knee injury on Friday, but things have gone from bad to worse since then. After being blown out by the Clippers on Sunday, Chicago suffered another road loss last night to the NBA’s worst team, falling in overtime to the Jazz (now 2-14). Despite the team’s recent struggles, it doesn’t sound like any major changes are on the way. Here’s the latest out of Chicago:
- The Bulls are more likely to keep Luol Deng “for the long haul” than to trade him, says Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. It’s not clear if Zillgitt just means Deng figures to remain a Bull for the rest of this season or beyond this season. However, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld suggests in more certain terms that a new contract between the two sides next summer is probable.
- Chicago has no interest in trading Jimmy Butler, according to both Zillgitt and Kyler. Both writers suggest that the Bulls still believe they have enough talent to compete in the postseason without Rose, and aren’t interested in breaking up the team.
- Coach Tom Thibodeau acknowledged that Gar Forman, John Paxson, and the Bulls’ front office will have to consider every possibility for the roster, but Thibodeau says he loves the team and expects to “find a way” to compete. Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago has the details and quotes.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com questioned Forman extensively about the possibility of rebuilding or retooling the roster, but the Bulls GM insisted that the club still feels like the long-term outlook is positive and won’t make any rash decisions.
- Forman to Smith: “We have a young nucleus of veterans basically in their 20s; we have multiple draft picks, including a pick from Charlotte in one of the next three drafts; we have the rights to Nikola Mirotic, who has been the best young payer in Europe the last two years. I know people get tired of hearing it sometimes, but we also have the possibility of flexibility in free agency this summer or next. So we feel we are in a good position, and we will be getting Derrick back.”
Dirk Nowitzki Won’t Sign In-Season Extension
Laker-for-life Kobe Bryant inked a new contract yesterday that will keep him in L.A. through 2016, but we shouldn’t expect Dirk Nowitzki to follow suit by signing his own extension with the Mavericks. Nowitzki told reporters, including Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that while he intends to remain with the Mavericks beyond this season, he expects to hit free agency rather than sign an in-season extension.
“It was never really even discussed, to be honest,” Nowitzki said of an extension. “It’s always been I’m going to play this contract out, by then I’m 36 and we’ll see from there.”
Like Kobe, Dirk figures to take a pay cut on his next deal, but it’s not clear yet whether that cut will be more significant than Bryant’s. Nowitzki’s $22.72MM salary is one of several amounts set to come off the books in 2014, leaving the team with only about $25MM in guaranteed salary committed for ’14/15 so far. The German is aware of Dallas’ cap situation, and the opportunity to add another impact player may be one reason why he’s taking a wait-and-see approach with his next deal.
“My contract is coming off, [Shawn Marion]‘s is coming off, Vince [Carter]‘s is coming off, so there’s a lot of money under the cap,” Nowitzki said. “We can make this team better.”
Nowitzki’s cap hold next July will be worth nearly $24MM, so the Mavs will likely have to finalize a new deal with him for a lesser amount before they can officially use most of their potential cap space.
Odds & Ends: Rose, Williams, Kobe, Melo, Dirk
It’s deja vu for the Bulls as they’ll be without Derrick Rose for a while. The question now is whether they should keep this gang together in hopes of putting it all together late in the season upon Rose’s return, or cut bait and begin repurposing, writes Zach Lowe of Grantland. Breaking the team up could also have the added benefit of lightening this season’s tax bill in the process. Here’s more from around the Association..
- The Nets were linked to Derrick Williams before he was shipped to the Kings earlier tonight, but team sources tell Fred Kerber of the New York Post (on Twitter) that they weren’t among the interested clubs.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com looks at how Kobe Bryant‘s new deal affects Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. Melo will hit the open market after the 2013/14 season and Los Angeles has been linked to him for quite some time. The question now is, will Anthony still be attracted to L.A. now that they likely would have to fill out the roster with minimum salary retreads.
- Meanwhile, Brad Townsend of the Dallas News wonders what an extension for Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki might look like in the wake of Kobe’s new deal.
- Heat veteran Rashard Lewis gave serious thought to retiring, but he’s very happy with his choice to continue, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Lewis thought he was finished, but he now finds himself as a significant contributor in Miami.
Offseason In Review: Dallas Mavericks
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Jose Calderon: Four years, $29MM. Signed via cap space.
- Monta Ellis: Three years, $25.08MM. Signed via cap space. Third year is player option.
- Brandan Wright: Two years, $10MM. Signed via Early Bird rights.
- Samuel Dalembert: Two years, $7.57MM. Signed via cap space. Second year is partially guaranteed for $1.8MM.
- Wayne Ellington: Two years, $5.42MM. Signed via room exception.
- Gal Mekel: Three years, $2.25MM. Signed via cap space.
- Devin Harris: One year, $1.27MM. Signed via minimum salary exception.
- DeJuan Blair: One year, $948K. Signed via minimum salary exception.
- Bernard James: One year, $789K. Signed via minimum salary exception.
Trades
- Acquired the No. 16 pick in 2013, the Nets’ 2014 second-round pick, and the Celtics’ own 2014 second-round pick from the Celtics in exchange for the No. 13 pick in 2013.
- Acquired the No. 18 pick in 2013 from the Hawks in exchange for the No. 16 pick in 2013, the No. 44 pick in 2013, and Jared Cunningham.
- Acquired the No. 43 pick in 2013 from the Sixers in exchange for the Nets’ 2014 second-round pick.
- Acquired a fully unprotected 2016 second-round pick from the Grizzlies in exchange for the rights to Nick Calathes. The Mavs had already acquired that 2016 second-rounder, but it had previously been top-55 protected.
Draft Picks
- Shane Larkin (Round 1, 18th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
- Ricky Ledo (Round 2, 43rd overall). Signed via cap space for four years, $3.32MM. Third and fourth years are non-guaranteed.
Camp Invitees
- Renaldo Balkman
- Devin Ebanks
- D.J. Kennedy
- Mickey McConnell
- Fab Melo
Departing Players
- Josh Akognon
- Rodrigue Beaubois
- Elton Brand
- Darren Collison
- Jared Cunningham
- Mike James
- Chris Kaman
- O.J. Mayo
- Anthony Morrow
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- None
Last summer, the Mavericks put their eggs in the Deron Williams basket and came away with very little. This time around, the Mavericks missed out on their top two targets but had a much better backup plan. Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki appreciates Mark Cuban & Co’s contingency plan.
“I figured last year we signed nine one-year deals so we figured there’s going to be another big turnaround again,” Nowitzki told Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. “This year, we didn’t go for nine one-year deals. We brought Monta [Ellis] in for [three] years, and [Jose] Calderon for four years, we signed some long-term deals, so that’s going to be our backcourt for a while. I like it. They’re smart, we can play, we got some playmakers, some passers, some shooters, and it’s been going pretty good, but we got to be better defensively if we really want to win big games in a row.”
The Mavericks watched Dwight Howard go to the other Texas team in the running and had no shot at Chris Paul once Doc Rivers came aboard in L.A. In theory, the Mavs could have pulled something similar to what they did in the summer of 2012 – load up on one-year deals. That would have given them money to spend in the free agent frenzy of 2014, but that wouldn’t have made much sense for them. Mavericks fans have gotten pretty used to winning and owner Mark Cuban isn’t known for his patience. Star forward Dirk Nowitzki isn’t getting any younger and while he’s synonymous with the Mavs franchise, he might not have stuck around beyond this season with another trip to the lottery. And good luck convincing Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the elite free agent crop to sign up for four years with a non-contending club. The Mavs knew that their one and only option this summer was to be aggressive.
Ellis is thrilled to be with the Mavericks, but he might be even happier to be out of Milwaukee. The athletic guard won’t be starving with his three-year, ~$25MM deal, but he turned down an $11MM player option from the Bucks to hit the open market and later turned down Milwaukee’s three-year, $36MM extension offer. The deal includes a player option on year three and if his play early on in 2013/14 is indicative of what is to come, then he’ll likely turn the option down. Through 14 games, Ellis is averaging a career-high 23.6 PPG with 5.4 APG off of 49.4% shooting from the floor. The 28-year-old has been an NBA notable for years, but he’s never been this effective – Ellis’s PER of 20.46 is the very best of his career.
He’s joined in the backcourt by the almost equally thrilling Jose Calderon. Unlike Ellis, Calderon was willing to stay in the NBA’s Central Division. There was mutual interest between Calderon and the Pistons in a reunion, but agent Mark Bartelstein said that things didn’t come together because of timing. It turns out that the Pistons were waiting on Josh Smith, but Calderon did alright for himself with his four-year, $29MM deal. It’s possible that he could have held out for a higher average annual value, but a four-year pact for a 32-year-old is nothing to sneeze at. With Calderon, the Mavericks locked down one of the league’s most creative distributors, something that they sorely needed. Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo were both shoot-first guards and one could argue that they were both out to pad their own stat sheets as they looked ahead to free agency. Cuban has said many times that players in their contract years will play harder than guys with security. The playing style of Collison and Mayo last season pokes a sizable hole in that theory.
The Mavs watched several players go elsewhere this summer, but they retained athletic forward Brandan Wright with a two-year, $10MM pact. Wright, 26, had the best year of his career in Dallas last season, averaging 8.5 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 18 minutes per contest. The forward is still recovering from a fracture in his left shoulder suffered during training camp, but he’ll help bolster the Dallas frontline when he returns.
Wright’s ETA is still up in the air, but he’ll be back on the floor before Devin Harris. Harris initially agreed to a three-year, $9MM deal to return to Dallas, the place where he began his career and looked to be on his way to becoming a first-tier point guard. However, the deal was nixed shortly thereafter when it was learned that the guard had to undergo toe surgery. Ultimately, the two sides restructured the deal to a one-year pact for the veteran’s minimum and Dallas hopes to see Harris back on the hardwood before Christmas. After being traded to the Nets for Jason Kidd in 2007/08, it was all downhill. Stints in Utah and Atlanta didn’t help him resurrect his value, but a strong, healthy year with the Mavs can net him a better deal next summer. While Harris is on the mend, Dallas finally has rookie guard Shane Larkin in the fold and he’ll help support the club’s veteran backcourt off the bench.
GM Donnie Nelson and company have been high on Samuel Dalembert for years, believing him to be an ideal fit with power forward Dirk Nowitzki. This summer, they made it a reality. Dalembert came into this season averaging 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes for his career and he figures to see more burn in Dallas than he did in Milwaukee last season.
The Mavs’ pickups of Wayne Ellington and Israeli guard Gal Mekel got a decent amount of attention this offseason, but the club’s signing of former Spurs forward DeJuan Blair for the minimum might prove to be one of their smartest additions. Blair was frustrated with his inconsistent playing time in San Antonio – he was virtually forgotten during the postseason – but he looks to have found a more comfortable home in another part of Texas.
While other clubs are trying desperately to position themselves for the best free agent class and draft class in recent memory, the Mavericks pounced this offseason and gave themselves a chance to do some damage in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. This Dallas team won’t reach the same heights as the 2010/11 incarnation, but they’re on the right track.
Reactions To Kobe Bryant’s Extension
There are some trades and contracts that require black-and-white analysis, but Kobe Bryant‘s two-year, $48MM contract extension is not really one of those deals, writes Zach Lowe of Grantland. It’s a most unusual situation – Bryant is dealing with a level of health uncertainty he’s never faced before and he’ll be the highest-paid player in the league despite being nowhere near the best player in the league last season. Now, the Lakers’ dream of luring in two max-level stars is finished and they’ll be paper thin if they use their remaining cash on a max deal. Here’s more on Kobe and his new deal..
- Larry Coon of CBA FAQ says that if the Lakers follow through with their 2014 plan, keeping Pau Gasol will require him to take a steep discount. If they really go bare bones, they can create enough room for one max player, a player around the mid-level exception, and someone for the room mid-level exception of ~$2.7MM. This means letting free agents Gasol, Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar, Xavier Henry, Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman, and Jodie Meeks walk.
- Kobe is worth the $48MM deal and then some, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com says. A lot of that money amounts to a lifetime achievement award, but the idea of chasing a title with Bryant will be a major selling point for whoever they try and lure to L.A.
- The lucrative extension happened partially because of loyalty and was partially a risk on the Lakers’ part, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The deal means that Kobe now has the opportunity to go out as the highest paid player in the game and assures that he will play with only one franchise for his entire career, something that Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O’Neal could not do.
- The deal could cripple the Lakers’ chances of retooling the roster via the free-agent market, writes Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times.
- Kobe took less than the max, but Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times wonders if he gave back enough cash.
- The Lakers are acting with heart and not logic in their new Kobe contract, writes Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins.
Amico On Aldridge, Turner, Bulls, Thornton
Sam Amico of FOX Sports has tons of great stuff in his latest column, let’s dive in and check out some of the highlights..
- LaMarcus Aldridge was all over Hoops Rumors this summer with talk of dissatisfaction with the Blazers and trade demands, but it sounds like we can finally put that to rest. Aldridge, who looks like the best power forward in the league so far this season, appears to be content with his 12-2 club.
- There is some relevance to a suggested potential trade involving the 76ers and Cavs, according to league sources. Philly is likely to shop small forward Evan Turner, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and the Cleveland is exploring the idea of landing a starting-caliber small forward. It could be a good match, depending on the Cavs’ desire to gamble on the uncertainty of Turner’s contract. The possibility also exists the Sixers will hold on to Turner and re-sign him in the summer as he has played well and been a team leader under new coach Brett Brown.
- However, Cavs GM Chris Grant is not actively trying to make a deal, even though he likes to make trades and is always willing to listen.
- League sources believe Kings swingman Marcus Thornton is available. Thornton is a talented scorer, but a less-than-stellar defender and has fallen out of Michael Malone‘s rotation.
- The Derrick Rose-less Bulls could shake things up. Chicago still wants to win and get into the playoffs, sources say, but if things head south quickly, they could gut the roster and aim for a high lottery pick to pair with Rose when he returns. A team source says if the Bulls trade Luol Deng, they would have to get what they consider a steal (a young player and picks) to move him within the Eastern Conference. The asking price from a Western team wouldn’t be as high.
- One league source said that as of today, the Bulls won’t even think about what to do with Deng until the trade deadline nears.
- Guards Richard Hamilton, Shannon Brown, and Kendall Marshall remain unsigned, but they’re all drawing interest from several teams. League sources expect Brown and Marshall to sign somewhere by the New Year, and Hamilton perhaps not long after that.